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Murder of Lemuel Penn

SOLVED1964Broad River Bridge, Georgia State Route 172, Madison County, Georgia2 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
File:PennLemuel1.JPG
File:PennLemuel1.JPG — Credit: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain

Lemuel Augustus Penn (September 19, 1915 – July 11, 1964) was the Assistant Superintendent of Washington, D.C. public schools, a decorated World War II veteran, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. He had earned a Bronze Star for service in New Guinea and the Philippines and had contributed to Gunnar Myrdal's landmark study of race relations, An American Dilemma. At the time of his death he was the father of three children.

On July 11, 1964, Penn was driving home to Washington, D.C. from Fort Benning, Georgia, with two other Black Reserve officers, following their annual summer training camp. Authorities later alleged that three white members of the United Klans of America — James Lackey, Cecil Myers, and Joseph Howard Sims — saw the officers' Chevrolet Biscayne in Athens, Georgia, and followed it. Prosecutors alleged that, as the two cars reached a bridge over the Broad River on Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County, near Colbert, Myers and Sims fired shotguns into Penn's vehicle, killing him.

Authorities identified Myers, Sims, and Lackey as suspects. Sims and Myers were tried for murder in Georgia state superior court but were acquitted by an all-white jury in September 1964. Federal prosecutors subsequently charged them under 18 U.S.C. § 241 with conspiring to interfere with Penn's civil rights. In June 1966, a federal conspiracy trial began against Sims, Myers, Lackey, and three additional defendants — Herbert Guest, Denver Phillips, and George Hampton Turner. A federal jury convicted Sims and Myers of conspiracy; the four co-defendants were acquitted. Sims and Myers each received the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years and served approximately six years.

A historical marker was later erected at the Georgia Highway 172 Broad River Bridge site by the Georgia Historical Society, the Lemuel Penn Memorial Committee, and Colbert Grove Baptist Church, commemorating Penn and describing the case's role in prompting expanded federal civil-rights prosecutions. The federal indictment arising from Penn's killing led to United States v. Guest, in which the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the conspiracy charge and addressed federal power to prosecute private conspiracies involving state participation.

Key facts

Victims
Lemuel Penn
Date
1964
Location
Broad River Bridge, Georgia State Route 172, Madison County, Georgia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1915-09-19

    Lemuel Augustus Penn is born.

  2. 1964-07-11

    Penn is shot and killed by Klansmen on the Broad River bridge, Georgia State Route 172, Madison County, Georgia, while driving home from Fort Benning.

  3. 1964-09

    Cecil Myers and Joseph Howard Sims are tried for murder in Georgia state superior court and found not guilty by an all-white jury.

  4. 1966-06-27

    Federal criminal proceedings begin against Sims, Myers, Lackey, and three other local Klansmen — Herbert Guest, Denver Phillips, and George Hampton Turner — for conspiracy to violate Penn's civil rights.

  5. 1966-07

    Sims and Myers are found guilty of conspiracy by a federal jury; their four co-defendants are acquitted. Sims and Myers are each sentenced to 10 years in prison.

  6. 1981-06-01

    Howard Sims is shot and killed by a flea market owner during an argument, at age 58.

  7. 2002

    James Lackey dies at age 66.

  8. 2018

    Cecil Myers dies at age 79.

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People

  • Cecil Myers

    CONVICTED

    Acquitted of murder in Georgia state court in 1964; later convicted of federal conspiracy charges in 1966 and sentenced to 10 years.

  • Herbert Guest

    ACQUITTED

    Co-defendant in the 1966 federal conspiracy trial; acquitted.

  • Lemuel Penn

    VICTIM

    Assistant Superintendent of Washington, D.C. public schools and U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, killed July 11, 1964.

  • Joseph Howard Sims

    CONVICTED

    Acquitted of murder in Georgia state court in 1964; later convicted of federal conspiracy charges in 1966 and sentenced to 10 years.

  • George Hampton Turner

    ACQUITTED

    Co-defendant in the 1966 federal conspiracy trial; acquitted.

  • Denver Phillips

    ACQUITTED

    Co-defendant in the 1966 federal conspiracy trial; acquitted.

  • James Lackey

    ACQUITTED

    Charged in connection with the killing; acquitted in the 1966 federal conspiracy trial.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • File:PennLemuel1.JPG

    portrait victim

    File:PennLemuel1.JPG

    Credit: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Source

Places

Broad River Bridge, Georgia State Route 172, Madison County, Georgia

34.1129, -83.2249

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Lemuel Penn, a Black U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and D.C. school administrator, was shot and killed on a Georgia bridge in 1964 while driving home from military training. Cecil Myers and Howard Sims were acquitted of Penn's murder in state court and were later convicted in federal court of a civil-rights conspiracy connected to his killing.
Where did the murder happen?
Broad River Bridge, Georgia State Route 172, Madison County, Georgia.
Who was convicted?
Cecil Myers (Acquitted of murder in Georgia state court in 1964; later convicted of federal conspiracy charges in 1966 and sentenced to 10 years.) and Joseph Howard Sims (Acquitted of murder in Georgia state court in 1964; later convicted of federal conspiracy charges in 1966 and sentenced to 10 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Georgia

Sources

  1. PRESSMarker Monday: Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn and the Civil Rights ActGeorgia Historical Society · 2026-07-11
  2. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Lemuel PennWikipedia · 2026-07-10